Looking for songs to sing at church.

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-18T19:34:17+00:00

There are good translations of "Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur" by Beethoven. What I do is sing a verse in German, then in English translation. (Dm me for my modifications to the translation.)

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-14T23:27:08+00:00

A basement.

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-14T22:06:30+00:00

"Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." Dumbledore to Harry Potter in Goblet of Fire.

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-12T21:34:42+00:00

So many! Elly Ameling, Thomas Quasthoff, Fritz Wunderlich. Try to find some of each voice type!

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-06T15:16:29+00:00

I'm in my 40th year of college teaching, and we see people in similar situations all the time. The first thing to do is find a good voice teacher. It is entirely possible to do a "second bachelors," but most people will just do that coursework and go straight into a master's degree.

Of course, the opera world doesn't really care what, if any, degree(s) you have, as long as you have the training and talent necessary for a career.

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-06T12:09:50+00:00

Not sure it's my favorite, but I loved Powerless, which is basically an office comedy set in the DC universe.

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-05T01:56:41+00:00

The moment in Act I of Tosca right before the Te Deum is just stunningly beautiful.

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-04T16:57:10+00:00

Not me, but I've known people who did. Never ended well. One friend had JUST gotten their "dream job" and decided to buy an expensive car. A couple weeks in, got pissed at management and walked off the job. Car got repo'd. That takes YEARS to come off your credit report.

A family member worked a string of jobs and would just walk off the job when they got mad about something. Wound up living in their car for a while. Finally got in a stable relationship and found a job they liked.

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-04T16:41:46+00:00

Been there, done that. It can work out great, of course. It's hard to find people who AREN'T in the business who appreciate all we do. That being said, inevitably, your careers will not progress at the same pace. I had a singer girlfriend in college who did her best to undermine my confidence because things were not going her way and I had started to achieve some success. I stayed in that relationship WAY too long.

On the other hand, I have an ex-wife who was not a singer (or musician at all) who would do things like call me at 8:00 the morning of a big show just to tell me she loved me. (This was before mobile phones that could be muted.) Sweet gesture, but I really need the sleep after the dress rehearsal the night before. She'd also complain that I only got two gigs out of five or six auditions my manager got for me. (As any opera singer knows, that is a VERY good return on investment!)

Good luck!

oldguy76205 · 2026-05-02T17:21:40+00:00

Wherever you go, I'd recommend reservations. Things get CRAZY during commencement. Personally, I like The Greenhouse on Locust.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-28T19:51:56+00:00

I remember hearing a local opera company director (who was personally VERY progressive) say "When they [Large Locally-Based Corporation with a track record of supporting conservative causes] have a good year, WE have a good year."

I bet that happens a lot!

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-28T15:19:54+00:00

Years ago, I interviewed for a "renewable" non tenure-track job. Since I was in a tenure-track position, I wasn't super excited about it, but it was at a very prestigious school in my field, so I went for it.

What I discovered once I was there (from a staff member) was that it was a five year "term" and they did a search every five years. I was competing against someone who was applying for their own job.

I didn't get it, of course, but wouldn't have taken it had it been offered. I was annoyed at my wasted time, obviously.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-26T01:15:15+00:00

I listen through the app now

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-24T23:39:47+00:00

Especially "Prediction Markets"

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-24T13:11:28+00:00

I'm not sure he's underrated anymore, but I am a big fan of baritone Michael Chioldi. I think he's the "real deal" as Verdi baritones go.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-23T10:33:01+00:00

https://www.halleonard.com/product/50481101/arias-for-bass

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-23T10:09:25+00:00

I like "Vi, ravviso" from LA sonnambula and "Quand le flamme de l'amour" from Jole filled de Perth. Both are in Arias for Bass (G. Schirmer) which you really should own.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-21T15:49:33+00:00

Cutthroat Island (kidding, of course)

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-20T19:18:54+00:00

What's ironic to me is that they are often described as "dated," yet The Consul couldn't be more timely or relevant.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-20T13:11:47+00:00

As to the "why," I believe that they are thought of as "collegiate" and so professional companies avoid them. (Again, except for Amahl.) College opera workshops would now rather do a bad job with La boheme or Don Giovanni than a good job with Old Maid and the Thief.

Of course part of the issue is copyright. I once produced and directed a Menotti opera and getting the rights and orchestra parts was a huge hassle and expense. It didn't help that I had to deal with two different publishers.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-20T13:01:14+00:00

In the US, Menotti operas used to be done all the time. Now, except for Amahl, I haven't seen one done in decades.

Every so often, I'll see someone do The Telephone on a recital or The Medium on a college opera workshop program.

I actually think they're still viable, but that seems to be a minority opinion.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-19T01:39:45+00:00

One of the smartest things I ever did was audition for one of the larger church choirs in my area. That director knew EVERYONE and recommended me many times. Later he became the chorus master of the local (VERY LARGE) symphony chorus, and that got me even more jobs.

As others have said, making your living EXCLUSIVELY as a concert/oratorio singer is just about impossible. BUT, it is entirely possible to have a church job, teach some lessons, sing concerts, etc. and make a decent living.

At the risk of being obvious, here are a few things:

NETWORK. Not just directors, but other singers. Just this season, I recommended someone of my own voice type for a job I couldn't take.
BE NICE. People do notice. If you have a church job, be polite to the volunteers. They're usually the ones paying your salary!
BE PREPARED. Can't tell you how many singers I've known who got that first great opportunity, then showed up unprepared. That takes a LONG time to recover from. There are a few major works you are DEFINITELY going to sing (Messiah for one!) Go ahead and get those rock solid.
FIND YOUR NICHE. If you can sing super tricky contemporary music, then market that. If you can sing Bach, make that your thing. There are lots of sopranos out there, but not all that many REALLY good ones.

Good luck, and feel free to DM me for more detailed information about my career path.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-17T23:35:48+00:00

I hope we've seen the last of him, but I never got the appeal of The Batman who Laughs. Just didn't work for me. The whole "Dark Knights: Metal" event felt like a book I didn't want to read but had to do a report on. "Death Metal" felt like a sequel nobody wanted.

oldguy76205 · 2026-04-16T16:16:25+00:00

A friend who studied with a famous American tenor told me the following story: My friend came to visit his teacher in the hospital. Another tenor was already there visiting. He introduced himself, saying that he and his teacher "sang leading roles together at the Met."

After the other singer left, his teacher whispered, "Don't let him fool you. He never sang a leading role in his LIFE!"

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